A Captain and His Ship
by Lukas Avier
Summary: Luffy has just received the Going Merry on Syrup village along with a new crew member! But, what is this about the soul of the ship and why does Luffy decide that the strange black haired man is his new crew member when he knows nothing about him. Why, out of everything else, does the man look so familiar? "My name's Percy Jackson, Captain."
1. Chapter 1

"This is the Going Merry!" Merry said proudly as she gestured to the large ship. "Now, listen carefully when I say this," She said, suddenly serious. "Supposedly a ship will only reveal it's true self -it's soul- to a crew with a worthy captain. I don't know if it's true, but rumor has it that it only appears when there are at least three crew members, not counting the captain."

"Woow!" Luffy and Nami clapped while Zoro nodded appreciatively at the vessel. "Shishishishi!" The captain grinned, "Sounds cool and we have three members!"

"It looks awesome!" Luffy said with stars in his eyes as he stretched his arm to climb onboard. He touched the white railing gently and already felt a warm feeling fill him. "I won't let anyone harm you, Merry," He whispered protectively and he could have _sworn_ the boat hummed. He turned to his two crew members as they made their way onboard as well, "Isn't Merry amazing?"

"She is," Zoro nodded, running a hand lightly on the railing.

"Guys!"

The three Straw Hat Pirates turned to see Usopp standing at the stop of the hill with a large pack on his back. He was making his way down the hill when his foot slipped and he started rolling.

"He's going to hit the ship!" Nami shouted.

Luffy and Zoro's eyes narrowed and they jumped off, using their foot to stop Usopp. Unfortunately for the liar, they hit him in the face.

"Thanks'sh," He muttered around their foot.

Luffy jumped onboard once again when Usopp continued, "Thanks for all your help, guys. When I'm out on sea, maybe we'll see each other again-"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy cut in, already getting tired of listening to him. He grinned widely as he extended an arm towards the boy, "Just get on!"

"YATTA!" Usopp cheered, grabbing the hand, "I'm a captain!"

"What?! I'm the captain!" Luffy said firmly, "And we'll need a flag!"

* * *

"Behold Captain Usopp's finest work!" Usopp grinned proudly as he looked at the pirate flag only to be bopped on the head by the navigator.

"That's _your_ flag!" She huffed, "Not _Luffy's_."

"Fine. Fine," Usopp muttered, already working on another. "Behold!" The flag was the typical skull and crossed bones topped with a straw hat.

"That looks awesome, Usopp," Luffy grinned.

"It was nothing," The sniper shrugged though he looked a bit flattered.

"We should be off," Nami said to the boys. "It'll be a while before we hit the next island."

"Set sail!" Luffy ordered excitedly.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

* * *

"No way!" Luffy said as he looked at the blonde haired cook. "I said I was sorry!"

"You still injured our head chef!" The male yelled, "And you damaged the Baratie so you have to pay off your debt by being a chore boy!"

"Fine," Luffy pouted, crossing his arms. "But I won't like it!"

"You're not supposed to," The blonde snorted, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag. "Now, get up, Chore Boy."

"My name's Luffy!" The Captain yelled, "And I'm going to be king of the pirates!"

The cook merely blinked at him before speaking, "Sanji. Who are they?" He nodded to the Straw Hat members.

"Oh, that's my crew! There's Zoro; my first mate and swordsman. Nami is our navigator and Usopp is my liar slash sniper. He's really good."

"And the other guy?"

Luffy blinked at the chef, "What other guy?"

"The one right next to your swordsman," Sanji said like it should be obvious.

"Next to my..." Luffy looked over and blinked again... and again. Right just behind Zoro was, what seemed to be, an eighteen year old. He had wavy black hair and startling green eyes that sparkled like the sea. When they made eye contact, the raven haired male tilted his head and smiled; as if they shared a secret. "That's..." Luffy struggled to find the words to describe the strangely familiar man, "That's my new crew member."

"Why didn't you mention him earlier?" Sanji wondered, looking at the pirate.

"Because I just decided that he'll join my crew!" The rubber man grinned widely and Sanji couldn't help but fear for the dark haired man.

"Oh," Sanji looked at the male across the room, who held up an empty cup of punch with a raised brow. While Sanji would usually only serve women hastily, the cook found his legs moving on its own. In mere seconds, he was refilling the glass with the cool beverage, "Here you are."

"Thank you," The man said with a lopsided smirk, eyes sparkling. His voice was smooth and calming, not at all patronizing or arrogant like other people he met.

"You're welcome," The blonde nodded. "I've never seen you around here before."

"I've never been here before," The male shrugged, taking a sip of his punch. "I was just following my captain."

"And who would that be?" Sanji asked, for some reason, curious about the man.

"Why, that would be-" The man was cut off when someone walked in, demanding food.

Sanji looked on with a strange expression while the strange man kept drinking his beverage calmly. "He seems hungry and desperate," The raven haired male finally spoke, looking over at Sanji. "Are you going to let him suffer?"

* * *

"You should join my crew!" Luffy grinned at Sanji after they exchanged their dreams, both of their eyes still alight from speaking about them.

"No way," The blonde answered immediately. "My place is here at the Baratie. I have to pay the old geezer back."

"Sounds interesting," A voice said behind the men.

Luffy and Sanji turned to see the same raven haired man from earlier. "Who are you?" The Straw Hat captain asked bluntly, having been wondering it.

"Percy Jackson, Captain," The man said with a lopsided grin. "But you'll probably know me as the Going Merry."


	2. Chapter 2

"Going Merry...? Is that-"

"My ship," Luffy finished the cooks half-asked question, voice full of disbelief. "But... How...?"

"I'm sure Merry already told you on Syrup island, Captain," Percy said with a patient smile, arms behind his back. "Once the ship has a worthy captain, it reveals its soul."

"Me... I'm worthy?" Luffy asked, suddenly scared of the answer.

"Mmm," Percy gave the boy a lopsided grin. "How are you _not_ worthy? Even if I wasn't the soul of the Going Merry, I'd still join your crew."

"This is awesome!" Luffy laughed and Sanji and Gin gaped at the raven haired man. "I can't wait until the others see you!"

Percy laughed softly and nodded, "Of course, Captain. Now," He looked at the cook and Gin. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm being kidnapped."

Before any of them could comment, Percy was already striding away.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh, is that really full of food?"

Usopp jumped slightly when he heard the unfamiliar, yet familiar, voice behind him. He turned to see a raven haired man with bright green eyes looking curiously over his shoulder at Zeff, who carried the large bag of food for Don Krieg's crew. "Yeah," He answered despite the fact that he didn't know the man. He felt a strange bond with him for some reason...

"Wow," The man's eyes sparkled as he looked at the bag. "My name's Percy by the way."

"Usopp," The sniper smiled, holding out his hand.

Percy shook it before his eyes focused on Don Krieg, "Who's the giant trashcan?"

Everything went quiet before Luffy started laughing loudly, slapping his hand on the table, and Zoro smirked. Usopp looked quite nervous when he noticed Don Krieg's enraged expression.

"How dare you!" Don Krieg bellowed in anger, "You'll pay for insulting me! I am Don Krieg, the most powerful pirate on the East Blue and the man who'll become pirate king!"

"NO WAY!" Both Luffy and Percy shouted together, surprising everyone around them. "I'M/HE'S GOING TO BE KING OF THE PIRATES!" The two huffed, Luffy pointing at himself while Percy was pointing to his captain.

"You? Pirate King?" Don Krieg started laughing, "That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard!"

"Oi," Luffy looked at Zeff, who regarded him with a bored expression. "If I beat this guy, can I stop working here?"

Zeff didn't speak for a moment, stroking his beard in thought, "Yes, but only if you defeat him."

"YATTA!"

"A scrawny brat like you defeating me, Don Krieg?!" Don Krieg shouted, face turning red with his anger. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Don't do it, Chore Boy!" Sanji yelled, "You don't have to do this!"

Luffy took off his straw hat, a strange expression on his face, "Yes, I do." He handed the hat to Percy, surprising Zoro since he knew how much his captain cherished it, "I'm the one who'll become king of the pirates."

"Of course," Percy flipped the hat onto his own head, grinning widely. "Who else deserves that title but you, Captain?"

Luffy simply smiled back, laughing loudly, "No one! You're going down, Don Kroog!"

"It's Krieg!" Don Krieg shouted, "And I'd like to see you try to defeat me! This restaurant is mine now!"

"The Baratie will never be yours!" This time, both Sanji and Percy said that together, a fire in there eyes that wasn't there before. It was a wonder, though, why Percy was so protective of a place he'd never visited before.

* * *

"You must have woken him up from his nap," Zeff said calmly, arms crossed as he regarded Don Krieg coldly. "He wouldn't attack someone so beneath him with no reason."

Zeff was, of course, talking about non other than the Dracule Mihawk, the best swordsman in all the seas.

"Don Krieg!" Someone shouted when the ships shifted in the water and people started falling overboard, "It's him! It's-"

"Mihawk," Zoro whispered and he looked to his left when he heard someone say the same thing. "Do you have business with him too?" He asked Percy.

Percy shook his head, "No, but you do. That's enough for me. I have a question though," He continued when Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing just standing here? Go fight him."

Zoro grinned widely, nodding once, and gripped the hilt of his white sword. He liked this man. "Mihawk," He called out, gaining the swordsman attention.

* * *

"I'm bored," Percy yawned as he watched the battles take place.

"Are you kidding me?" Usopp looked at the man as if he was the strangest being on Earth, "How could you be bored with all of this fighting going on?"

"I've seen plenty of fights before," Percy shrugged, cleaning out his ear. "This isn't anything new."

"BROTHER ZORO!"

Usopp and Percy turned in time to see Zoro fall into the sea, a jagged cut across his chest. "There's no way he can swim with that wound," The sniper was saying, getting up to retrieve his crewmate.

"I got him," Percy said and, without hesitating, dove into the cold waters after the swordsman. In merely seconds, he was up again with Zoro next to him. He swam to the edge of the Baratie, handing the green haired man off to Yosaku.

"Is he okay?" Luffy called, looking back at his crewmates.

"HE'S BREATHING!" Yosaku and Johnny called, earning a smile from the captain.

"Luffy!" Zoro breathed heavily as he raised his sword in the air with tears in his eyes, "I won't lose again! I'll be the strongest swordsman!"

"Good!" Luffy's grin grew even wider, "The Pirate King shouldn't have anything less!"

"So many manful tears," Percy muttered before grabbing Usopp's hand, who extended it out to help him out. "Hmm... I can do some quick stitches," Percy nodded, staring at Zoro's wound.

"How are you dry?" Usopp asked but was ignored when Percy took off his shirt to press onto the wound.

"Sorry," The raven haired man muttered when Zoro grunted in pain. "I'm so sorry..."

"Here," Patty handed Percy the first aid kit. "Hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry," Percy said calmly as he pulled out a needle and string. "I've sewn up plenty wounds in my lifetime," He leaned over Zoro, starting on the process of sealing his wounds, and muttered quiet apologies.

"Shut... Up..." Zoro finally grunted, lifting his head up slightly to look at Percy with pain-filled eyes, "You apologize... Too much..."

Percy smiled and leaned forward to break the string with his teeth, "Right. Rest now, Zoro. Luffy just has to finish his fight with Don Krieg."

"My swords-"

"Are right next to you. Now, sleep, Zoro," Percy said firmly before giving the swordsman a small smile. "You seem to be good at that."

"Alright, fine," Zoro conceded, leaning his head back. He was out like a light only seconds later.

The raven haired man looked up when he felt someone staring at him and smiled kindly at Dracule Mihawk.

Mihawk's eyes widened slightly at the smile. It was so warm and welcoming, just like his Captain's smile, but his eyes were fierce and protective like his swordsman's. There was no mistaking the small bits of mischievousness in his eyes too. But what really drew Mihawk in, what _really_ got him curious, was the color of Percy's eyes.

 _What a beautiful green._


	3. Chapter 3

Percy watched the heated battle between his Captain, Luffy, and Don Krieg (sometimes snorting at Luffy's moments of stupidity mixed with sure _genius_ ). He looked away for a moment when he noticed Mihawk still staring at him, an odd expression playing on the swordsman's face. "Can I help you?" He asked, walking calmly towards him despite the gaps between pieces of deck. It didn't seem to trouble him one bit and, for a moment, it looked to Dracule Mihawk like a god was walking over.

"You are an interesting character," Mihawk spoke finally when the other stopped just next to him.

"Thanks, I suppose," Percy grinned brightly. "You're not too bad yourself, Hawks. You're the famed 'greatest swordsman'. Of course," The man had a fond look in his eyes as he smiled at the direction Zoro was at. "You won't have that title for much longer."

Mihawk laughed even though he felt, no _knew,_ that what Percy spoke was the truth, "I hope not. Things have just started to get interesting."

"Yes, they have. My captain and his crew have a lot of hardships ahead. I hope you won't be too disappointed if it doesn't come as soon as you expected," Percy made eye contact with Mihawk, green clashing with gold, and smiled. "But don't worry. It will happen just... not the way you'll expect it too." He stretched, walking away, before looking back at the swordsman with a grin. "I hope you know how to teach, Dracule Mihawk. This generation is different than the last. Remember that."

* * *

"POISON!" Someone shouted and Percy turned his head sharply. Luffy was frantically searching for a mask, after making sure Sanji and Gin had one, but there were none in sight. The green eyed man looked down at his mask, looking up when he heard a small _'thunk'_ of an object falling. Gin had given Luffy his mask. "Mortals," Percy rolled his eyes, throwing his mask at their direction. "So self-sacrificing," He laughed to himself. "Then again, we're just the same." He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "PUT THE MASK ON, GIN! NOW!"

Gin hastily did as told before realizing whose mask it was. Before he could take it off, however, it felt like he was pinned down by the black haired man's stare. "Thank you," He muttered, despite knowing that he couldn't hear him.

As the smoke cleared, everyone looked around to see if there were any unfortunate victims. "That was dramatic," A voice drawled lazily and Gin, Luffy, and Sanji turned to see Percy clean out his ear with half-lidded eyes.

"But..." Gin sputtered as he looked at the soul of Merry, "You gave me your mask! How are you still standing?!"

"Mmm," Percy hummed quietly for a moment, contemplating on how to answer. "I've dealt with poison before. This is nothing." He walked over and whispered something to Luffy, who nodded.

"Johnny! Yosaku! Usopp!" The Captain called, "Go after Nami!"

* * *

"What are you doing?" Zeff asked Sanji as they watched Luffy land in the sea. "That boy has obviously eaten a devil fruit. He is unable to swim and will sink to the bottom."

"Shit! Why didn't you tell me sooner, you old geezer?!" Sanji shouted, throwing off his boots before diving into the cool waters.

As Sanji swam further and further down towards the rubber man, Percy was three feet under the sea, observing everything that happened. He made no move to help Sanji, knowing full well that the cook's actions will finally put his thoughts to rest. Percy backed away as Sanji made his way up with Luffy, swimming back to the surface.

* * *

"Join my crew!"

Luffy's voice could be heard from where Percy sat in the restaurant, resting on one of the chairs that weren't destroyed. Calmly sipping tea, he glanced at Zoro. The swordsman was still sleeping, snoring quietly, and Percy knew that his bandages would need to be exchanged soon. Getting up, the raven haired man walked over and poked the green-haired man's shoulder lightly, "You need to wake up, Zoro, so I can clean your wound."

"Mmm," Zoro slowly opened his eyes, immediately met with a concerned sea-green. "You know," He grunted, attempting to sit up with Percy's help. "I never caught your name..."

"My name's Percy Jackson and you are Roronoa Zoro, the greatest swordsman in the East Blue. Now, shush and let me clean your wounds."

Zoro chuckled and leaned forward, allowing the green-eyed man to unwrap the bandages from around his torso. The fingers moved gently with the utmost care and Zoro wasn't even sure if Percy was actually touching him.

"It's not infected so that's good," Percy reported as he grabbed a rag from Patty, who passed by. "But I'll have to put some alcohol on it. It'll sting a bit," Percy poured liquid onto the rag and proceeded to clean the wound when Zoro nodded.

Zoro grunted when he felt the alcohol on the sword wound, sucking in a breath when it stung. It didn't last long, however, when Percy lifted the rag and started to wrap fresh bandages around his torso. "Thanks," He muttered, almost breathlessly, as he leaned back on the floor.

"It's no problem, Zoro. I'm just helping a fellow crewmate."

"So, he got to you too, huh?" Zoro wasn't really surprised by the news and it wasn't like he minded. He liked the man for some strange reason and didn't mind fighting alongside him, even though he never seen him fight.

"You could say that," Percy smiled brightly. "Everything will be explained later, okay? For now, I have to go keep our captain from killing our, most likely, soon-to-be cook by accident." He walked of shouting, "OI, LUFFY, LET GO OF HIM!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello."

Sanji turned around when he heard the voice, ready to tell the person to stay out of the kitchen. He froze, however, when he realized that it was the person he spoke to with Gin earlier. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching him with his unreadable sea-green eyes. He had a long, black coat that reached his ankles and a white undershirt. His legs were crossed at the ankles, his legs appearing longer than they were with his black pants. He had five strange beads around his neck strung on a cord, one Sanji hadn't noticed before, and his hair appeared more windblown now that they had set sail.

"I don't believe we properly talked as people before I, in a way, dropped a bomb shell on you and the crew," Percy walked inside, pulling out a chair and sitting on it cowboy style. "Your name is Sanji, yes?"

"Ah, y-yeah," Sanji quickly stirred the food when it threatened to bubble over. "Oh, before I give out the food, is there anything you prefer to eat?"

"Anything but fish," The raven-haired man grinned, tilting his head. He studied the blonde for a minute, as if deciding what to say, "You don't know what to do with me."

"Can you blame me?" Sanji snorted, grabbing some plates. "This is a lot to handle."

"It is," Percy agreed, leaning his arms on the back of the chair. "And I am not expecting you to accept it right away. I will say, however, thank you for joining this crew," He looked up at Sanji, tilting his head. "It means a lot more to our captain than you know."

"MEAT!"

Percy sighed and leaned out his leg, just in time for Luffy to trip over it and face plant, "It's not safe to run in the kitchen, Captain. Someone could get hurt."

"You did that on purpose!" Luffy pouted and Sanji had to turn around to hide his smile. "Sanjiiii! I'm hungry!"

"Here," The cook placed a plate of meat in front of the rubber man before leaning out of the doorway. "Oi, you shitheads, come get your grub!"

* * *

"We're about to dock on the island," Percy reported once everyone was seated and eating their food. "I'll lower the anchor soon. How are you feeling, Zoro?"

"Fine," Zoro grunted, looking over at the other. "How do you know we're close?"

"Other than feeling the presence of Merry?" Percy gave the swordsman a lopsided grin, "I just have a knack for this kind of stuff." He straightened, getting up from his seat, "It's time I lowered the anchor. Excuse me, Sanji. The food was delicious."

Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, Johnny, Yosaku, and Sanji looked at each other before following the raven-haired man. Percy stood at the edge of the ship, gripping the railing tightly. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and he raised one hand towards the large iron anchor. Everyone gaped as it lowered slowly, sinking into the blue water. The sails folded, tying themselves, and the ship came to a complete stop.

Percy sighed and turned around. He blinked when he met everyone's incredulous gazes and mustered up an innocent look. He cleared his throat, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and nodded towards the island, "Shall we go?"

"NAMI!" Luffy cried, flinging himself toward the shore.

"Sanji, you're with me. Yosaku, Johnny, go find Arlong's base. Zoro," Percy looked at the swordsman, focusing on his bandages before meeting his eyes. "Don't push it."

"No promises," Zoro said and grinned at the annoyed look he received. So there was fire under that calm gaze after all.

* * *

"There are a lot of things going on with our crewmates," Percy suddenly said, his eyes flickering to Sanji's onyx ones before focusing back on the path ahead. "All their emotions... Their fear..."

"You can feel them?" Sanji stopped and looked at the other. He suddenly found himself lost in an endless sea-green gaze, one more vast than the ocean itself. He could see all the fiercely kept promises, the wishes kept to himself.

"Yes," Percy nodded, looking away. "I can feel yours too."

"What about our past?" Sanji was almost afraid of the answer. Would he be treated differently?

"That too," The spirit of the Merry (spirit for short) looked back at the blonde. "We all have done things we are not proud of, Sanji. Even myself. I am not going to judge you for it. The past is the past and that's where it should be left."

"Yeah," Sanji couldn't help the sigh of relief even if he wasn't going to be judged. For some reason, when he looked into those sea-green orbs, he knew that Percy wouldn't judge him, "We should make our way to Arlong Park."

"Right. Lead the way, Sanji."

* * *

"Zoro!"

Percy and Sanji looked up, both with their hands in their pockets, when they heard their captain's shout. The raven-haired man gave a small smile when he saw the rubber man tackles the swordsman.

"Where's Usopp?" Luffy asked, looking around.

"Usopp was taken by those fishmen!" Zoro said as he suddenly remembered. "We have to go get him!"

"It's too late for that," Johnny said slowly. "He's gone."

"Gone?" Sanji echoed and Luffy tilted his head.

"I saw the whole thing," Johnny said shakily through tears. "Big Bro Usopp was killed... BY BIG SIS NAMI!"

All but Luffy and Percy looked at him shocked. "He's not dead," The two said at the same time, crossing their arms.

"How do you know that?" Johnny nearly shouted, "How? I know what I saw! Nami's nothing but a cold-hearted woman!"

The pirate hunter was suddenly pierced by two hard gazes. "Strawhat pirates don't die, Johnny," Luffy said, looking serious for once. "Others may but not the Strawhat pirates. We all have a purpose here."

"Reframe from talking about them like that," Percy whispered in Johnny's ear, suddenly behind the man. "Not when you don't know the full story."

"Nami's our friend!" Luffy said with finality in his voice.

"Friend, huh?"

Everyone turned to see Nami walking behind them with a bandage on her left hand. Her gaze was cold, staring at them harshly, "Why did you all come here?"

"To get you back of course," Luffy smiled widely, hands on his hips.

"Idiot," Nami snarled, turning away. "Leave! Mind your own business!"

As she walked away, Luffy looked at her before flopping on his back, "I'm going to take a nap."

"What?" Johnny looked at the man in shock.

"We're not leaving until she comes with us. That's final," Luffy decided.

"Is that really all we're doing?" Gin asked in disbelief.

"Captain's orders," Zoro yawned, putting his arms behind his head, ready to take a nap.


End file.
